New kick off rule voted thru by owners

[Dablitzkrieg]

Looks to be a lot safer and much more exciting 

[Brand J]

9 minutes ago, T master said:

 

I think this will be good for safety reasons but didn't in the way the NFL did it last season they kick off from the 25 yard line ? And most all of the kicks went out of the back of the end zone so if they are now kicking from the 35 the kickers will need to take a lot off their kick in order for it to stay in play right ? 

No, it was never from the 25. It was booted from the 30 in the old days, but moved up five yards to the 35 starting in 2011. If they kick it through the end zone now, the return team gets the ball at the 30, not the 25 like last year. 

[PromoTheRobot]

39 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

So can you still kick it into the EZ? If so, same boring play…doesn’t matter where everyone else lines up. 

 

NFL puts touchbacks on the 30. XFL put it on the 40 as an illegal kick penalty.

25 minutes ago, Bob Jones said:

Pretty bad when the NFL is stealing ideas from the XFL...

 

Almost every NFL rule change came from either college or a rival league.

[Low Positive]

11 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

NFL puts touchbacks on the 30. XFL put it on the 40 as an illegal kick penalty.

 

Almost every NFL rule change came from either college or a rival league.

Kicks that are kicked into the end zone are put at the 35. Ones that roll into the EZ are placed at the 20. Also, no more fiat catches on kickoffs. All the incentives are for teams to kick it to the returner and for him to return the kick.

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/2024/03/26/new-nfl-kickoff-rules-2024

[Rigotz]

1 hour ago, Sweats said:

.....lame

 

Lamer than having 95% of kickoffs being a touchback out of the end zone?

 

I think we should at least be open minded to the idea that this might increase the amount of times we get to see an actual play on kickoffs.

Edited March 26 by Rigotz

[LabattBlue]

3 minutes ago, Low Positive said:

Kicks that are kicked into the end zone are put at the 35. Ones that roll into the EZ are placed at the 20. Also, no more fiat catches on kickoffs. All the incentives are for teams to kick it to the returner and for him to return the kick.

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/2024/03/26/new-nfl-kickoff-rules-2024

…and that is 100% better than the most boring kickoff touchback.  

[RyanC883]

Seems like a cool change to keep kickoffs relevant and make them safer.  

[Brand J]

13 minutes ago, Low Positive said:

Kicks that are kicked into the end zone are put at the 35. Ones that roll into the EZ are placed at the 20. Also, no more fiat catches on kickoffs. All the incentives are for teams to kick it to the returner and for him to return the kick.

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/2024/03/26/new-nfl-kickoff-rules-2024

Owners amended the proposal, so touchbacks are at the 30, not the 35.

 

Quote

The NFL competition committee met today and unanimously approved a tweak to the proposed NFL Hybrid Kickoff rule, making touchbacks that go into the end zone on the fly come out to the 30-yard line, rather than the 35, per source. The change provides kicking teams a less punitive option if they don’t want to take a chance on a long return. The adjusted rule proposal will be presented to owners for a possible vote Monday morning.
 

Updated: voted through by the owners.

 

Edited March 26 by Brand J

[RangerDave]

So, no more squib kicks?  That could impact kickoffs near the end of games.

[RiotAct]

2 hours ago, The Wiz said:

It will be the same as it is now but needs to be declared that they are trying an onside kick prior to lining up.

oh dang.  There goes surprise onside kicks, then

[Logic]

 

 

 

 

[The Wiz]

3 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

How would an onside kick attempt work?

 

2 hours ago, BigDingus said:

 

So surprise onside kicks are out? 

 

1 hour ago, Chicken Boo said:

 

 

Damn.  I didn't think about that.  

 

1 hour ago, RangerDave said:

So, no more squib kicks?  That could impact kickoffs near the end of games.

 

59 minutes ago, RiotAct said:

oh dang.  There goes surprise onside kicks, then

So regarding the surprise onside kick/squib kick.  I honestly think that this could open up some interesting special teams designed plays.

 

As stated, players can't move until the ball hits the ground or player receiving it (other than the kicker/returner(s)).  The receiving team also has the option of having either 1 or 2 players back to receive the ball.

 

Now mind you I've never actually kicked a ball off before but I would think that these guys know how to kick a specific distance and direction.  Imagine hitting a low/mid height kick that would land between the 15-20 yardline quickly but not like a blast of a kick off that would basically be an attempt and getting the ball to land as fast as possible and become a bouncer for the receiving team to try to scoop up while having guys being the same distance away from the ball as you are.  It would be something interesting  to see attempted at least.

 

And on the opposite side, having two guys receiving the ball that a free to move around prior to the rest of the kicking team could lead to some misdirection and trick plays.

 

 

Regarding squib kicks, I'd be interested in the rules for this new rule exactly what it says.  What is to prevent the kicking team from lining up and calling an onside kick and then squibbing it down the field?

 

In any event, this change makes kick offs relevant again vs it just being a wasted play other than in the last 2 minutes of a game.

Edited March 26 by The Wiz

[Buffalo03]

Do the 4th & 20 NFL. Do the 4th and 20. Remove the outdated and stupid onside kick

[Matt_In_NH]

My only beef would be this would have been better to know before FA started.  But on the flip side, all 32 teams are in the same position.

[DrDawkinstein]

3 hours ago, The Wiz said:

It will be the same as it is now but needs to be declared that they are trying an onside kick prior to lining up.

 

That just raises even more questions for me. Like not being able to fake an onside, or surprise squib, etc. But I see you have another post that addresses some of that. Thanks!

[billsfan89]

3 hours ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

I know some will hate it because "change bad" but I'm interested to see how this plays out. I like the idea of keeping returns relevant. Of course this would hit at a time where Buffalo doesn't have a clear "return specialist" rostered ..but let's see what the draft brings.

 

Bills have plenty of late round picks, I could easily see them drafting a RB with good return ability in round 6 where they have 3 selections. It would be a place where they could roster a player (they usually carry 3 RB's but only have 2 on the roster in Cook and Ty Johnson) and a spot in the draft where you could find a back with a bit of upside and return ability. 

 

As far as the new kickoff rule I am OK with it. The kickoff in the traditional form was a very dangerous play and the last few seasons it mostly ended in touchbacks making it kind of a boring play. My only issue is that you have to declare an onsides kick which removes the element of surprise kicks and some strategy. I wish they would go with a rule where in the 4th quarter you can elect to one time instead of a kickoff go with a 4th and 20 to try to keep the ball. Seems like that would be more exciting than a declared onsides kick and make comebacks more possible. 

[Westside]

I’m willing to give it a shot. I hated the kick offs the last few years. Hopefully it will make it more exciting. I’m not crazy’s about no onside kicks though. 

[Process]

Anyone know the average starting field position in the XFL?

[BuffaloBillyG]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Oddly enough, the UFL abandoned the XFL-style kickoff rule and went back to the usual format.

 

This changes the kickoff strategy 100%. Now it's about making holes to run through. There's no second level so once you break through it's a foot race.

 

The old way. The XFL made you convert a 4th and 15 at your own 25 to retain possession. The NFL did not adopt that rule.

 

Just doing this in preseason is impractical. Preseason is when you work on plays for the upcoming season. Why put in all that work for a rule that goes away?

It really does. Makes a guy that can operate in space almost like a stretch handoff more valuable. 

 

One problem I can see is if we see a lot of guys break that first wave the only person back to make a tackle is the kicker. Could we see an influx of kicker injuries this year from it? That would really shape the outcome of some games. Wonder if more teams will look to PS a kicker early in the season. 

[eball]

3 hours ago, Sweats said:

.....lame

 

 

Seems an appropriate place for this...

[Herc11]

3 hours ago, The Wiz said:

It will be the same as it is now but needs to be declared that they are trying an onside kick prior to lining up.

That kind of sucks cause that eliminates surprise on-side kicks

[eball]

Just now, Herc11 said:

That kind of sucks cause that eliminates surprise on-side kicks

 

There have only been two "surprise" onside kicks that I saw work in my lifetime...New Orleans in the Super Bowl and the Bills in the comeback game (although Houston should have been expecting it).

 

It's just not a big part of the game.

 

[Herc11]

2 minutes ago, eball said:

 

There have only been two "surprise" onside kicks that I saw work in my lifetime...New Orleans in the Super Bowl and the Bills in the comeback game (although Houston should have been expecting it).

 

It's just not a big part of the game.

 

A quick Google search came up with this:

 

"In the NFL, about 10 times per year, a head coach pulls a “surprise” onside kick - which I define as one that occurs in the first, second, or third quarter of the game. This century there have been 192 surprise onside kicks. Those have been successful 87 times (45.3 percent).Mar 14, 2020"

[babulator]

Another step towards the inevitability of NFL flag football. While this may change may ultimately not be a bad thing, combined with all the changes it's clear what direction the NFL is headed. I still can't wrap my head around the hip drop tackle thing, but again it's clear they'll be taking contact out of the game before much longer. I don't know the status of any of these CTE cases against the NFL, but as soon as they get held liable, it'll be over.

[BillMafia716ix]

I’ve watched the XFL and I loved it. Finally we get some excitement on kickoffs again

[MJS]

2 hours ago, Brand J said:

I thought putting it at the 35 was great, but owners amended the rule to put it at the 30, only five more yards given.

Oh, I didn't know that. 35 would have been better, but I think the 30 still makes it so kickers don't want to kick it out of the end zone.

[BuffaloBillyG]

18 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

 

Bills have plenty of late round picks, I could easily see them drafting a RB with good return ability in round 6 where they have 3 selections. It would be a place where they could roster a player (they usually carry 3 RB's but only have 2 on the roster in Cook and Ty Johnson) and a spot in the draft where you could find a back with a bit of upside and return ability. 

 

As far as the new kickoff rule I am OK with it. The kickoff in the traditional form was a very dangerous play and the last few seasons it mostly ended in touchbacks making it kind of a boring play. My only issue is that you have to declare an onsides kick which removes the element of surprise kicks and some strategy. I wish they would go with a rule where in the 4th quarter you can elect to one time instead of a kickoff go with a 4th and 20 to try to keep the ball. Seems like that would be more exciting than a declared onsides kick and make comebacks more possible. 

I get your point on the onside kick rule and don't necessarily disagree. However, an extremely high percentage of the time everyone knows when the onside kick is coming anyway. Save for the maybe once a year someone tries a surprise onside on a kickoff not near the end of the game.

 

My issue with the 4th and 20 becomes when the team is going for it and fails...but is able to convert due to a DPI, defensive holding the new "hip drop rule" or some other flag influenced by the officials with a judgement call. Would lead to wayyyyyyyyyy more scrutiny than it's worth IMO.

[TheFunPolice]

I like it, because right now the ball just sails through the end zone for a touchback anyways, and the only kickoff returns for TD happen against us it seems like

 

Is there a whistle or something so the 20 players who can't move know when it's time? 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 26 by TheFunPolice

[Doc Brown]

Just kick it through the end zone to get it at the 30.  Either way scoring will go up which is what the NFL wants.

[billsfan89]

1 minute ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

I get your point on the onside kick rule and don't necessarily disagree. However, an extremely high percentage of the time everyone knows when the onside kick is coming anyway. Save for the maybe once a year someone tries a surprise onside on a kickoff not near the end of the game.

 

My issue with the 4th and 20 becomes when the team is going for it and fails...but is able to convert due to a DPI, defensive holding the new "hip drop rule" or some other flag influenced by the officials with a judgement call. Would lead to wayyyyyyyyyy more scrutiny than it's worth IMO.

 

The 4th and 20 rule has its flaws that's why I think only allowing a team to elect to go for it once in the 4th quarter is a decent measure as yeah a cheap "ticky tack" penalty gives the team going for it a first down without converting the yards. However, I would like to see the penalty rate on 4th and 20 or more conversions. I would imagine defenses knowing that they have a 19 yard cushion would likely play in a penalty averse manner. If the defensive penalty rate is low on those types of plays I would strongly consider implementing that rule if I were the NFL. 

 

I don't think you should be able to go for it back to back as a tired defense may lapse but then if you are down three scores you can go for an onside kick if needed. In the end I like to see comebacks from 2 score deficits be more possible late in games, I think it adds a lot more excitement. 

[Warriorspikes51]

Why make everything needlessly complicated and chaotic. It was fine the way it was.

 

Could have just moved the kickoff spot back farther 

[DJB]

No more surprise inside kicks is the only downside to this I see. Safety is important on this one 

[eball]

3 hours ago, Herc11 said:

A quick Google search came up with this:

 

"In the NFL, about 10 times per year, a head coach pulls a “surprise” onside kick - which I define as one that occurs in the first, second, or third quarter of the game. This century there have been 192 surprise onside kicks. Those have been successful 87 times (45.3 percent).Mar 14, 2020"

 

This century = 23 seasons of between 256 and 272 games per season, or around 5900 games (not including playoffs), so a surprise onside kick is attempted in roughly 3% of games.

 

I’d say it’s not a big part of the game.

 

[bourbonboy]

4 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

 

Bills have plenty of late round picks, I could easily see them drafting a RB with good return ability in round 6 where they have 3 selections. It would be a place where they could roster a player (they usually carry 3 RB's but only have 2 on the roster in Cook and Ty Johnson) and a spot in the draft where you could find a back with a bit of upside and return ability. 

 

As far as the new kickoff rule I am OK with it. The kickoff in the traditional form was a very dangerous play and the last few seasons it mostly ended in touchbacks making it kind of a boring play. My only issue is that you have to declare an onsides kick which removes the element of surprise kicks and some strategy. I wish they would go with a rule where in the 4th quarter you can elect to one time instead of a kickoff go with a 4th and 20 to try to keep the ball. Seems like that would be more exciting than a declared onsides kick and make comebacks more possible. 

 

They do have Darrynton Evans, but I am not here to quibble - I agree I can see picking up a return specialist late in the draft or a cheap free agent. This is a big change, and yards are yards....we should be looking to be proactive and take advantage of this however we can. I want to give Josh the best starting position we can.

 

P.S. Pretty sure the Steelers were thinking the same when they just happened to sign Cordarelle Patterson just hours after the kickoff change was approved. Kickoff return value was minimized before the change.....

Edited March 26 by bourbonboy

[billsfan89]

5 minutes ago, bourbonboy said:

 

They do have Darrynton Evans, but I am not here to quibble - I agree I can see picking up a return specialist late in the draft or a cheap free agent. This is a big change, and yards are yards....we should be looking to be proactive and take advantage of this however we can. I want to give Josh the best starting position we can.

 

Given that you can have two returners and the rest have to be 10 yards apart from the 11 defenders I think teams are gonna need two players that can return kicks and block. So picking up a RB that can do both and provide some depth is a good use of a 5th or 6th round pick. 

[UConn James]

7 hours ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

I know some will hate it because "change bad" but I'm interested to see how this plays out. I like the idea of keeping returns relevant. Of course this would hit at a time where Buffalo doesn't have a clear "return specialist" rostered ..but let's see what the draft brings.

I also wonder how it will affect McDermott’s penchant to keep 3-4 guys solely for special teams tackling. iirc Matakavitch and Neal were released. Maybe he had word this was gonna happen since he’s now on the competition committee?

[SoCal Deek]

Well thank goodness! If they had t changed this I was swearing off the NFL forever. Forever….I tell you! 

[Herc11]

45 minutes ago, eball said:

 

This century = 23 seasons of between 256 and 272 games per season, or around 5900 games (not including playoffs), so a surprise onside kick is attempted in roughly 3% of games.

 

I’d say it’s not a big part of the game.

 

Regardless how much it's attempted. It's a cool element to the game for coaches to have in their tool box. A 45% success rate is pretty good.

[Old Coot]

8 hours ago, The Wiz said:

It will be the same as it is now but needs to be declared that they are trying an onside kick prior to lining up.

and it must be in the 4th quarter and tried by the trailing team.

[BuffaloBillyG]

29 minutes ago, UConn James said:

I also wonder how it will affect McDermott’s penchant to keep 3-4 guys solely for special teams tackling. iirc Matakavitch and Neal were released. Maybe he had word this was gonna happen since he’s now on the competition committee?

It will definitely play into the roster construction. I also think the Bills are counting on some younger/cheaper options on ST as well. Hamlin played a ton of ST last year and got some experience. Shorter is supposed to be a heck of a gunner. 

 

Changing the kickoff rules is a small part of the ST though. You still have punt coverage, kick and punting teams in addition to the EP/FG unit. Can't drain the well entirely of those style of guys. Minimize, maybe.